I showed Lycian the message without a word.
His expression went dark. The celebration around us faded into background noise. Just us. The bond. And the cold reality that someone was still out there.
“No,” he said finally. Voice hard. “We’re not doing this anymore. We’re leaving. Tonight.”
“We can’t just run.”
“It’s not running. It’s surviving.” He pulled me away from the crowd. Found a quiet corner. “You’ve passed the trials. You’re officially Luna. That’s enough. Now we go somewhere they can’t find us.”
Through the bond, I felt his desperation. His need to protect me. To get me away from danger.
But I also felt something else. Exhaustion. He was as tired of this as I was. Tired of fighting. Of threats. Of never feeling safe.
“Okay,” I said quietly. “We leave tonight.”
Relief flood
